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Feeling overwhelmed? In today’s message Pastor Rob Kee explores what Jesus meant by “I have overcome the world” in John 16:33. We had a balcony room. If you ever go cruising, this is just a tip, cruiser tip, if you ever go on a cruise, see if you can get a good deal on the balcony room. It only costs us an extra $100 for the week and it is so worth it. You can walk out on the balcony, you don't feel claustrophobic, and you can get that great air and view. Well, Lauren goes out and she's looking at this ocean, and she comes back in. And I'm just enamored by it. “Wow, this is beautiful.” And she comes back in and she says, "Dad, that's a little overwhelming." I said, "What part, baby?" She said, "There's no land. No land anywhere. It's just water." And I got to share with her how that, so many times we feel overwhelmed by the things that are going on around us. And if we don't stay in Christ, or, in that ship, we can be lost very easily. As I sat out on the balcony and I began to look at different things that, or the ocean as it went by, and I began to think about the vastness of this ocean. And I thought to myself, one night when I was out on the balcony, I thought, “You know, if somebody falls off, I just hope you know Jesus because you will not be found. More than likely you will never be found.” They have had people on cruise ships that have just disappeared. Ron and I were talking about that the other day. And so I was able to share with Lauren, the world can seem like an overwhelming place, can't it? Just completely overwhelming. Look at the things that are happening in our government. Just in America, let's just start in America, the good old USA. It's disheartening to say the least. It's almost a feeling of hopelessness, the way we're being sold down the river by those that we have elected into public offices. God is not being honored. Christians are falling under persecution in our own nation, United States in our own nation, and not being protected by the government. Anything to do with speaking the truth of God's word is being considered a hate crime, and there are now lawsuits right now that are happening against pastors and against schools and against anybody else who is willing to speak out against sin. In Kentucky, they've already let go certain pastors that were clergy in juvenile detention centers because they refused to sign a form that said they would not identify sin. The form said you must not identify certain things as sin, that we are calling publicly accepted. They refused to do it, thank God, but they were let go. These are things that we're seeing, these are things that we're seeing being imposed upon us by our government and by our society and we look out beyond that and we see what's happening in the world and the persecution against Christians, specifically targeted. And it can be overwhelming, but we've got to stay on the ship. We've got to stay on the ship. As overwhelming as those things can be, it becomes even a greater depth of that overwhelming feeling when you realize that the church is following suit. When you realize that all of these things that have been happening, you realize the sin that is being accepted, you realize that the same-sex marriage legalization is a complete affront to everything that Christ stands for, because God created us to be His children and He created us in a certain way so that we could have healthy relationships and that wasn't part of the deal. Yet we as men and women have decided that we are going to change that because God isn't relevant anymore. It's not God's responsibility to be relevant to you or I. It's our responsibility to align ourselves with His Word, and then our life will be in proper position. But we begin to see the church fall away. We see pastors like Rob Bell from Mars Hill, who is openly accepting sin and homosexual relationships. He is becoming Oprah Winfrey's guru. We see Tony Campolo, once a very respected Baptist minister. I love some of his ministry stuff and he was hilarious when he would just drive the point home and it was right on target. And just recently he came out and said, "Yeah, I've changed my stance on that." And has now begun to twist and manipulate scriptures to say what the populace, or what the popular issues want them to say. What does that mean? That means that they're saying God's a liar. God's not a liar. God doesn't lie, and he doesn't change. Hillsong United, some of the sermons that they've been preaching and quoting certain scriptures out of certain translations that aren't even translations, and they're making it to where each sin is something that, “Well, you know, it depends on the person.” No, sin is sin. And Jesus Christ came to deliver us from sin. But if we don't take a stand, nobody's going to be delivered. And as one person said, “We all have our own sin.” I don't want one. I've got a dog. I don't need a pet sin running around. Do you understand what I'm saying? I don't need something that's going to separate me from God, hanging around and claiming it as my own. Jesus paid the price for that. And I need to rebuke it in the name of Jesus and I need to live my life in a way that will honor and glorify Him. Recently, T.D. Jakes, how many of you know T.D. Jakes? How many of you have been blessed by his ministry over the years? I have. I've loved some of T.D. Jake's stuff. Incredible. Years ago we listened to some of his, his messages, some of his sermon series, but over the course of the past several years he's become more and more liberal and he just came out with an official statement that he is changing his stance on homosexuality and it is “evolving” and that “if you are a practicing homosexual Christian, you need to find a Christian church that will accept how you have chosen to live so that you can be at peace.” Verbatim, I read this, folks. My heart was broken. We're not talking about pastors of little storefront churches somewhere. We're talking about pastors of megachurches that affect millions of people, not thousands, millions. The historic First Baptist Church of Greenville, where the first Southern Baptist Convention was held, which, I want you to know the Southern Baptist Convention came out in June and had a very strong stance against homosexuality, but loving, you know, reaching out to the homosexual but not accepting the sin, same thing the Church of God did, so they're right on target but yet this specific historic church has now opened their doors, their leadership, their ministry, to any practicing homosexual or any basic, I don't know why then, not any practicing sin, that they can be allowed to do anything that they feel is okay and they're not going to judge them for it, and they will be a part of their ministry team, and they will even do any kind of same sex marriages or unions that are requested of them. So where's the “overwhelming” in this? I'm really not overwhelmed with the world anymore. I'm really not overwhelmed with the government anymore. I'm pretty underwhelmed. But I'm really close to being overwhelmed by the things that are happening in the church. But we can stand. We can stand. We have to stand. We must stand. We have no other option. Apostle Paul says that we are to prove our own salvation, whether or not we are in Christ. We don't have to be overwhelmed. John 16:33. Jesus is dealing with a lot of things as he's talking to his disciples. He's promising the Holy Spirit. He's comforting them. He's talking about the relationship to him. He's predicting his death and resurrection and at the very bottom, in verse 32, he says, “Behold the hour comes, yea ,is now come, that you shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone and yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” You see what Jesus said right there? He's telling the disciples that “You're getting ready to have your complete world rocked. You will be on the hit list of every person that hates me. You will feel like you are completely alone because I am no longer there with you, but I want you to know, I've spoken these things to you so that in me, in me, not outside of me, not away from me, but in me, you might have peace, because in the world, you will have guaranteed. You will have tribulation but be of good cheer or comfort, or be courageous, for I have overcome the world.” Jesus has overcome the world. We can go from being overwhelmed to being an overcomer, but we have to be in Christ. And if we're in Christ, we need to realize that we're not alone. He hasn't left us. He hasn't forsaken us. And we are now above the world system. That ocean that Loren saw -- that world system that seems like it's going to just envelop us? Jesus says, "You are now above that because you are in me." Because when I was in the ship, guess what? I was above that. I was above that world system. I was above that taunting threat of death. I was above that taunting threat of being lost forever in a sea that I could never find my way back in and nobody could ever find me because I was in the ship. I am in Christ and I am above the situation, not because of me, but because I am in Christ. Then I begin to think about Genesis chapter 1, "And the spirit of the Lord moved upon the face of the water.” That's meaning the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the face of the water. And when it's talking about the face of the waters, it's talking about the multiple faces of the water. So whatever water was there, the Holy Spirit was hovering above it, which means as great and as overwhelmingly huge as the ocean and the waters were, the Holy Spirit was over it all. So I don't have to be afraid. I don't have to be afraid. I don't have to be afraid of death. I don't have to be afraid of threats. I don't have to be afraid of the legal system. I don't have to be afraid of the world system because the Holy Spirit of God is over it all in the name of Jesus Christ. Do not be afraid. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. But know that I am telling you this because you will suffer tribulation. You know, you never experienced the thrill of victory until you know what it's like to be defeated. If all you do is win, that's all you do is win, you get cocky. You get pious. Because you lose the feeling of what it was like to lose. To be defeated. But the person that remembers what it was like to be defeated, the one that was remembers what it was like to lose, when they win, they should have a humility about themselves that enjoys the celebration of victory, but doesn't revel in it to the point of putting down the one that lost because they remember they were just there. We are overcomers in Christ. We are no longer to be overwhelmed by the world system, but we are to look for those that, at one point in their life, have been defeated, downcast. They're lost. And we don't look at them from a pious perspective, as though we're the high ones on the boat looking down into the water, the vastness of the sea, but we remember what it was like to be there at one point. And then we remember God is above it all, and we do whatever we can to bring the message of the gospel to those that are in the same sea that we were once lost in. In 1 John 5:4-5, it says, "Whoever is born of God overcomes the world." Do you want to be an overcomer? Whoever is born of God overcomes the world. Who is he that overcomes the world? He that believes that Jesus is the son of God. If you want to go from being overwhelmed to being an overcomer, you must believe that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God. You must confess your sins, acknowledge the fact that you have fallen before God and that He is the only one that provides the way back to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. You confess your sins, you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is the message that we need to give those that are lost in that sea still today. We don't need to become a cruise ship filled with Christians that aren't putting their hands out, their life preservers out, and maybe even at times, putting themselves in the water in order to pull somebody out. That's the that's the kind of ship we need to be, a rescue ship because we were the ones that Christ rescued from that as well. Your life will present the gospel, but your words should support it, your actions should support it. When we were at dinner, When you're at dinner, you share a table, and it's all included, and so you share a table, and we had three other people that we shared the table with. Great people, Joe and Ruth and Joey, and they were from Belize, actually. Where's our family from Belize? Are they still in here? Are they in the back room? They're from Belize, and so it was really wonderful. They're in America. They've been in America for years, but that was originally where they were from and so when we would pray, I would say, “Excuse us just a second while we pray.” I'm not going to force them to pray with me. I'm not going to say “Let's all bow our heads” you know I mean if God tells me to that's fine but I just wanted them to know we were praying. “So excuse us just a second” and so we prayed. And that's at the time the wife wasn't there. And the husband didn't say much, but he said, "Thank you." Nice guy. So we had very good fellowship and everything. So then the next night, I believe it was, or two nights later, because sometimes you hit and miss as far as dinner. And we did it again. And he said, "I told my wife that you guys, I think, are committed-- or she told me, I think they're committed Christians." And I said, "Really?" He said, "Well, yeah, you pray." And it was bittersweet because I thought, "Wow, to be a committed Christian, all you have to do is pray over dinner." That's where our society has come to, to where if you just take the time to pray over your meal, that means you're a committed Christian. But I said, "Thank you, Jesus, that he got it." So what that opened up the door and all of a sudden we're talking with their family about the Lord, encouraging them to be in church, they had certain religious background, certain Christian background, but weren't necessarily in anywhere, so by the time it was over, and we're still texting each other now. So we exchange numbers, so we're texting each other, so it's really cool. And then another couple we met. That was interesting too because we were from some of the same places in California and we hadn't really been able to talk a lot. It was kind of like just on the bus excursions. So one night, I took Lauren out. Lauren had to have a midnight pizza. Because you can get pizza at all hours of the night. And so Robert and I did that on the other cruises that we did. We did a three-night, one time about 13 years ago, I guess it was. And so it's all Lauren, “Dad, we've got to do the midnight pizza. Robert, you did it with Robert, you're going to do it with me.” “All right, baby, let's do the midnight pizza.” So, you know, the older you get, the midnight pizza seems that much longer in the evening. So we ended up, it was a little bit less than midnight, but I said, “Let's go get our pizza.” And she says, “Okay, dad!” So we go, and we meet this guy that we have been talking to him and his wife, his name was Sergio. And I said, "Hey, Sergio, how's it going?" And he says, "You know, it's going okay." And I said, "All right, everything all right?" He said, "Yeah, you know," he said, "Mama's missing the kids. It's been almost seven days now," and she's been away from them, it's been hard." And so I said, "All right, well, we'll be praying for you guys, you know." So he said, "What would you like to join me?" It was just him, his wife was in the cabin. And so I looked at Lauren, and she's like, "Yeah, that's fine, Dad." I said, "All right, we'll go over there." So we go over there and Lauren and I sit down and I said, "If you don't mind, we're going to pray real quick." And he says, "Oh, please, please do." And he reaches out his hands. All right! Well, we're praying now, man! And so we pray and he says, "You know," he said, "I told my wife," he said, "those people are committed Christians, I can just tell." And she said, "I thought the same thing, I could just feel it when I was around them. And we weren't around each other for more than 20 minutes total before this time. So we spent that evening fellowshipping, praising the Lord. And I thought to myself, “Thank you, Lord. We came down here for midnight pizza. And here we are being able to minister to this brother.” And it was so cute because we were talking about ministering and witnessing and The Way Of The Master. And Lauren's right in there, telling them how to, you know, “Are you a liar? Are you a thief?” And all this kind of stuff. And it's like, “Thank you, Jesus. It's sticking, huh?!” [Laughter] Did you do it, Ron? [Laughter] It's sticking! [Laughter] Praise the Lord. But we've got to take our faith to the world, and we can't do that if we're overwhelmed. We have to realize that if we're in Christ, Christ is above everything else. Not just in glory and honor and praise and worship and power and everything else, in regards to that but he's over everything in your life. He is above everything in your life. So picture yourself jumping on the Jesus ship and being above the waters that you've been so overwhelmed with and stand in the victory that Christ has given you. Take your faith to the world in Christ because in him, you have overcome the world. You're no longer overwhelmed, but you're an overcomer. The world will see the difference in you, I guarantee it, and you will have the opportunity to share with them the glorious gospel message. Of course. Here is a ten-question quiz based on the sermon transcript you provided. Overwhelmed to Overcomer Quiz 1. What experience prompted the pastor's daughter, Lauren, to say she felt "overwhelmed" at the beginning of the sermon? a) The number of people on the cruise ship b) Seeing the vastness of the ocean with no land in sight c) The size of their balcony room d) The number of activities available on the cruise 2. The pastor mentions being disheartened by events in the government. What is one specific example he gives of Christians facing persecution in the United States? a) Being forced to close their churches b) Pastors in juvenile detention centers in Kentucky being fired for refusing to sign a form that would not allow them to identify sin 1111 c) Being unable to buy Bibles d) Being charged higher taxes than other groups 3. While the government and the world are causes for concern, what does the pastor say he is "really close to being overwhelmed by"? a) The state of the global economy b) The things that are happening in the church 2 c) The number of people who have fallen off cruise ships d) The lack of Christian programming on television 4. The sermon uses the analogy of a ship on the ocean. What does being "in the ship" represent? a) Going on vacation b) Being wealthy enough to afford a cruise c) Staying in Christ 3333 d) Attending a megachurch 5. According to the sermon, Jesus says that in the world we will have tribulation, but we should "be of good cheer." Why? a) Because our friends will support us b) Because the tribulation will not last long c) Because He has overcome the world 4444 d) Because we can always escape on a cruise ship 6. According to 1 John 5:4-5, as quoted by the pastor, who is it that overcomes the world? a) He that is the pastor of a large church b) He that prays the loudest c) Whoever is born of God and believes that Jesus is the Son of God 5555 d) Whoever wins many arguments for Christ 7. True or False: The pastor tells a story about praying over a meal at dinner, which led to a conversation about faith with the family they met from Belize. 8. The pastor contrasts a "cruise ship filled with Christians" with the kind of ship the church should be. What kind of ship is that? a) A battleship b) A rescue ship 7 c) A luxury yacht d) A submarine 9. What simple action led other passengers to identify the pastor and his family as "committed Christians"? a) Handing out gospel tracts b) Singing hymns on the deck c) Praying over their meals 8888 d) Always carrying a Bible 10. What is the central message of the sermon about how to move from being overwhelmed to being an overcomer? a) By ignoring what is happening in the world b) By realizing we are above the world's problems because we are "in Christ" 9999 c) By starting a new political party d) By protesting outside of churches that are changing their stance on sin Answer Key
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Rob KeePastor and personal coach Rob Kee helps equip men and women to communicate effectively and efficiently through conversational intelligence. ArchivesCategories
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